


It's all about revenge

by asamandra



Category: Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Be Careful What You Wish For, F/M, M/M, Minor Character Death, Nightmares, PTSD, Rape/Non-con Elements, Revenge, Torture, You just might get it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-09-11
Updated: 2014-01-17
Packaged: 2017-12-26 07:46:53
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 18
Words: 19,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/963388
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/asamandra/pseuds/asamandra
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>One year after the events on the helicarrier she finally gets revenge for her dead fiancé and her lost child...</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Every Saturday she went to the grave. She bought flowers at the shop outside of the cemetery and then she went to the grave. The headstone was unpretentious, it read only the name, Steve Davis, the date of his birth and the date of his death.

She came late afternoon, sat down on her haunches and laid the flowers, a bouquet of sunflowers, down. Most of the time she talked to Steve, told him what happened at work, told him the newest gossip but sometimes she just sat there and cried. In three weeks it's a year now and it still felt as if someone had ripped her heart out. 

She remembered the day as if it were yesterday. She was on the bridge when she saw a grenade. She threw herself on one of the Agents to jostle him out of the danger when the grenade exploded. It was only a small shrapnel, a tiny bit of metal but it shredded his pericardium. They discovered it later when the doctors performed an autopsy. 

This day they lost twenty-four good agents, twenty-three, if you don't count Coulson. But the official report still says twenty-four. She lost more than her love this day. She lost a few very good friends, she lost colleagues. And the man who was responsible for it got promoted. He was now part of one of the most prestigious teams not only with SHIELD but also in the whole world, he's considered a hero. He lived together with the other members of his team in one of the most luxurious buildings in New York and, if the rumors were true, he was now together with one of the worlds most sought-after bachelors. He had everything now and she had nothing. Not only that she lost her love but also the child she was pregnant with. His child. 

She wiped away a tear, blew her nose and rose. 

“You don't know how much I miss you.” She said before she left the cemetery. 

She went to her car, opened the door and wanted to start the engine when she saw, that someone had tucked a piece of paper under the windshield wiper. She frowned and looked around but she was alone at the parking area right now. There were a few other cars but no one in them. She opened the window and leaned forward to grab the paper. 

**McGinty's Tavern, 8pm** it read. Nothing else. She looked at her watch. Just before seven-thirty. And she knew McGinty's Tavern. It was Steve's favorite bar. With a sigh she leaned back in her seat and closed her eyes. This could be a trap. Someone who knew about her work. But maybe...

She opened her eyes, started the engine and drove out onto the street. She wanted to drive home, ignore the message but somehow she found herself in a parking slot not far away from McGinty's Tavern.

She wasn't here since Steve's funeral. Their friends were there with her. It was one of the worst days in her life. Right after the day Steve died and the day she learned, that she would lose the child. She looked at her watch. Five minutes before 8pm. She still wasn't sure if she should enter the bar or if it was better to drive home but then her curiosity won. She took her purse and left the car. Before she entered the building she looked around but apparently no one took notice of her. 

She opened the door. Nothing had changed inside. It was as if it was yesterday that she's been there the last time. The long, massive bar, the pictures at the wall, the same tables, the same chairs, the same barkeeper, the pool table in the back. She looked at the table she usually sat at with Steve. A man sat there, alone and with his back to her. She sighed once again and went to the bar, climbed onto one of the bar stools and when the barkeeper saw her, he smiled and came over.

“It's nice to see you again,” he smiled and looked at her. “The same as usual?” He asked and she nodded numbly. After all the time he still remembered her. He came and put a glass with draft beer in front of her and she smiled at him. Mac... they called him Mac. “Thanks, Mac.” she said and the man smiled back. 

She looked at her watch. 8pm. No one was here to talk to her. She took a sip of her beer and took in her surroundings. This time, when she glanced around the man at her former regular seat smiled in her direction. And now she recognized him. He pointed at the chair opposite him and she swallowed, but then she took her glass and went over to him.

“I wasn't sure you would come.” He said. She saw a glass of red wine in front of him.

“Mr...” she started but he raised one finger and shook his head. 

“No. No names. You call me Adam, I call you Eve. Okay?” he tilted his head to one side and she nodded again. Once again he pointed at the chair. “Don't you want to take a seat, Eve?”

She sat down and placed her glass in front of her. “What do you want? Why this mysterious message?”

“I know that you still remember _the day_.”

“Why wouldn't I? It was the day my life got ruined.” She snorted and took a sip of her beer. 

“I'm here to make you an offer.” 

“I don't deal with you. You know whom I work for and...” 

“That's exactly why I want to talk to you.” He interrupted her and smiled but then he took a sip of wine as well.

“I couldn't avoid to notice that you and me have... similar goals. And so I thought, we could help each other.” 

“Like I said, I don't deal with you... _Adam_.” She wanted to rise but then he held her hand and she stopped.

“I know what happened one year ago. You lost everything that was precious to you. Your love, your child... yes, I even know that... friends, colleagues. And I know, that the man who's to blame for it is still around and things are going really well for him.”

“Well, I can deal with it myself.” She spat and once again tried to rise.

“I offer you revenge,” he said. “Nothing more than pure and simple revenge.” She stopped and looked at his hand and when he opened his grip she sat down again.

“What do you have in mind, _Adam_?” She finally asked.

“Let's talk about pain...” he smiled.


	2. Chapter 2

“I don't need him, sir. I can do this alone.” Maria Hill folded her hands in front of her chest and glared at Fury.

“Did I slur my speech?” Fury asked and leaned back in his chair.

“No, sir. But...” she started again.

“This mission requires two senior agents and I've assigned Agent Barton for this mission because he has the skillset you need. Period.” 

“You know that I don't work well with him.” She said again and Fury lifted his brow.

“Fine. I'll take Barton.” With an angry glare she left the office.

“I'm not sure if it's the best decision, sir. They really don't work together very well.” 

“I know, Phil. But I need both their skillsets and they are the best. They are professionals, they can do it.” Fury sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Sometimes I think I'm too old for this shit.” 

Phil nodded and laughed that tiny laugh that was typical for him. 

“I know what you mean, sir.” He rose, grabbed his cane and wanted to leave the office.

“You talk to Barton, Phil?” Fury asked and Phil nodded once again.

 

 

“She hates me, Phil.” Clint said and leaned back on the couch. Tony, who sat beside him, wrapped his arm around his waist in the usual possessive way he always showed around Clint's ex-husband.

“No, she... she doesn't hate you.” Phil sat down at an armchair and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“I can do that... I mean, I'm totally cool with the assignment and I don't have any problems with her but let's face it. Maria was never fond of me and since the whole Loki-incident she outright hates me.” 

“Clint, I...”

“I said, I can do it. I don't have a problem. You need to talk to _her_. She has the problems with me.” Clint pulled one leg up and wrapped his arm around and Phil could see Stark's hand stroking his stomach. 

“Why don't you send an other agent, Agent?” Tony asked and tilted his head.

“It's... we only have three agents with the required skillset. Albert got shot three weeks ago and is still in recovery, Martens is a woman and the third is Clint.”

“And a replacement for Hill? Isn't there someone else who can do this?” Tony wanted to know.

“It's her mission. She worked on it since five months and her contacts already know her.” Phil said and shrugged apologetically. 

“Crap.” Clint sighed. “Well... like I said. I'm cool with it, as long as she can work with me.” 

 

 

“I agreed, didn't I?” Maria snarled and slammed the drawer shut she just had opened. 

“Yes, but... you seem upset.”

“Phil, I'm a professional. I can work with him if it's necessary. And I promise not to snap his neck when he starts to get annoying.” She glared, opened the same drawer again and started to rummage through it's contents. Finally she found the bottle with the painkillers and swallowed two of them dry. 

“Maria. I don't know...”

“No, Phil. You don't. And that's it. Director Fury insists that I have to take him with me and...”

“Maria. Please...” She threw the bottle back into the drawer and slammed it shut once more.

“... I will take him with me. As long as he can do his job without endangering the mission.” 

“Clint can be an annoying brat in private but he never endangered a mission.” 

“I know his record, Phil.” 

“Yes, me too.” He cocked his head and stared at the younger woman.

“Anything else?” She lifted one brow and stared at Phil.

“No. But...”

“Okay, then I can go back to work. Tell him we'll start tomorrow zero six hundred Juliet.” 

“I'll tell him.” Phil nodded, rose and grabbed his cane. He threw one glance back at Maria and deliberated if he should say that he had a bad feeling. But then she glared at him furiously and he left her office. They both were professionals. The knew what to do.


	3. Chapter 3

The mission went south the moment they left the quinjet. It started with a missing contact and ended with four guys holding Maria at gunpoint. She knelt at the ground in this small and dirty alley they followed their mark into, her hands tied in front of her and two guys holding her arms. The third pointed his gun at her temple and the fourth aimed at Clint.

“I said, lay your weapon down. You may be fast but my friends bullet is faster.”

Clint looked at Maria, made eye contact and he could see something he never expected. Fear. Maria was an experienced field agent before she got Deputy Director and now she knelt at the floor, paralyzed from shock.

“Come on, _Hawkeye_ ,” the thug who aimed at Maria mocked. “Make your move.” He grinned and pressed the gun even harder to her temple. Clint pressed his lips together and tried to get Maria out of her state of shock but she didn't look in his direction and the guy was right. Whatever he tried, his bullet was faster.

“Weapon down!” The first guy snarled again and this time Clint obeyed. He placed the gun in front of him and raised his hands. One of the guys who had held Maria's arms came over to him and threw a pair of handcuffs in his direction and Clint caught them reflexively. 

“You know what to do, Hawkeye,” the man said and Clint glared at him furiously but then he snapped the first cuff around his wrist. He wanted to fasten the second one behind his back but then the guy shook his head. “No. Front.” 

_Damn!_ Clint thought. He heard a vehicle arrive and then the other guy who still had Maria's arm moved and opened the door. They shoved her in and then they pointed at the car and Clint followed them. It was a black van and two guys already sat in the last row. The guys pointed at the middle row where Maria sat and Clint took the seat beside her. One of the guys took the last seat in this row and pointed at the two of them. And it was clever to tie their hands in front of them. No one would've seen what they'd done with their hands behind them. So, they couldn't do anything. Not when four guns were aimed at them. 

The two guys in the back row had another surprise for Clint. They blindfolded him and Maria and he swallowed. This was bad. Really bad. The thugs knew what to do and that meant they were professionals. 

Their trip took about twenty minutes and then the car stopped. Clint could hear that it was somewhere indoors. Someone opened the door and the guy beside him left the van and then grabbed his arm and Clint followed. He was sure he could take out the guys, his blindfold was slipped up a little bit, but Maria was a risk at the moment and he didn't want her getting killed or hurt and so he obeyed. 

They separated him and Maria. Really clever. He couldn't do anything if he didn't want to risk her well-being. Through the tiny slit under his blindfold he could see an old warehouse and they led him to a freight elevator and drove downwards.

When the elevator stopped the guys grabbed his arms and led him through a corridor to a room on the right side. It was tiled and there they removed the blindfold and the cuffs. Clint was baffled but then he saw that he was in a cell. And the guys had their mobile phones in their hands.

“Remove your clothing.” One of them said and Clint lifted his brow.

“Excuse me?” He replied. 

“I said, remove your clothing.” The guy grinned lecherous and when Clint didn't obey immediately he sighed and started to dial a number.

“Okay, okay.” Clint said and slipped out of his jacket.

“Over here with your stuff.” The man pointed with his gun at a spot in front of his feet and Clint threw the jacket and his shirt to him. With a murderous glare he opened his pants and stripped out of shoes, socks, pants and boxers. 

“Satisfied?” Clint asked and stared at the man and he still grinned at him. 

“Absolutely,” he said and if he weren't already naked he'd undressed him with his eyes. The guy then looked to his colleague and nodded and the second man came with a hose. Clint knew what he planned and braced himself for it. 

The water was ice-cold when it hit his body and Clint winced and tried to cover himself but that was futile. 

“Come on, turn around,” the guy snarled and Clint turned. In a few seconds he was soaking wet, freezing cold and whatever electronics he had hidden was destroyed by now. Except one tiny part and when they came over to him now he could see a detector. They found the tracker he had under the skin on his left hip. 

“Face to the wall, hands beside your head, don't move or the woman dies.” Guy one spat and Clint glared at him but then he turned around and placed his hands beside his head at the wall. He felt the other guy step up to him. _You can get him. It's just a tiny movement. You get him and in a second you have the other guy as well,_ he thought. _That's no problem but then the others kill Maria._

He felt a stinging cut and looked down to see the man throw away a bloody scalpel and with a forceps he opened the wound at his side. Clint groaned when he removed the tracking chip. It hurt. He felt the guy grab his hands and then the handcuffs snapped shut, this time behind his back and they led him out of the cell and into another room. And when he saw what they had in mind he stopped dead in his tracks. On the walls were cages and in one of them he saw Maria, as naked and wet as he was. The only difference was that Maria wasn't cuffed.

“No way!” Clint snarled but then the man beside him sighed and gestured to his colleague and the guy turned with his gun to Maria.

“Wait! Stop... okay.” He finally sighed and moved over to the empty cage. With a leer he shoved Clint into the cage and he didn't stop himself from groping Clint's ass. 

When the door was locked the guy who just had felt Clint up gave the trackers to one of his fellows.

“I don't care where you go to with them but get them far away from here.” He grinned. “We don't want their friends here too soon.” 

And with a last malicious grin both of the men left.


	4. Chapter 4

Clint tried a few languages he knew Maria spoke and when he insulted the guardian in Farsi he finally found one the guy didn't understand. 

“The fuck was that in the street?” he asked then and she had at least the decency to blush slightly.

“I don't know. There were those guys and... guess I'm too long out of the game.” 

“Yeah,” Clint snorted. “With this you're right. You always preach the Junior Agents to hold eye contact.”

“I... I said that... shit.”

“You freaked out. Plain and simple. We could've taken them, you know? I've tried to...” 

“Stop. Yes, I freaked out, and I'm sorry,” she snarled and the guy who guarded them told them to shut up.

“Okay, do you know those guys?” Clint asked quietly after the guard went back to his spot.

“No. They... I don't know... they are not the guys I wanted to meet. What can we do?”

“Not sure. I could say let's see what they want but... I'm not really curious. If we get the chance we check-out.”

“Someone's coming.” Maria hissed and pointed at the door. A few men came in and one of them seemed to be their boss. He pointed at the cages and two men came over and wanted to open Maria's.

“Stop!” Clint said, knelt up and glared at the boss.

“Why?” The man asked and finally came over.

“Don't touch her.” Clint demanded now and locked eyes with him.

“Why?” Boss repeated and cocked his head to the side.

“Whatever you want from us, she doesn't know it or have it.” Clint glared at the man and he could feel Maria's intense stare at his side. 

“How do you know that we want something from you?” Boss asked now and smiled a tiny smile.

“Why else would you kidnap us?” Clint shrugged as far as possible with tied hands.

“Yeah. Point.” Boss nodded. “But maybe we just want to have some fun.” He grinned now.

“I said, leave her be.” Clint glared murderous at him and the man chuckled. 

“Do you want to take her place?” He then asked and leaned forward a bit. Clint could sense that Maria tensed up beside him but he held Boss's eyes.

“Yes,” he answered without hesitation the same moment Maria whispered, “No!” 

“But I guess your friend isn't overly fond of that.” Boss grinned lecherous now.

“I don't care. You leave her be.” 

“What are you? Self-sacrificing hero type?” Boss chuckled and moved to stand directly in front of Clint.

“Nah, not really. But there's this guy I used to hang around a lot and he tells me all this stories about bullies and stuff... you know.” 

“And now you want to stand up against the evil bully?” 

“Yeah, well... yes, guess that's what I've planned.” Clint shrugged again.

“Okay, if you offer yourself so nicely.” Now it was Boss who shrugged and then he pointed at two of his goons. “Bring him.” 

“No, Barton, you can't...” Maria started again but when he shook his head she sat back. The guys opened the cage and Clint left it without struggling. He swallowed hard, she could see it but he didn't waver. The thugs grabbed his arms and he went with them. 

Boss waited till they were gone and then he turned back to the cage with Maria and she seemed sorely shocked. 

“He wasn't supposed to do this.” She stammered at the man when he opened her cage and handed her a gown. She looked at the guy and he shrugged once again, this time only slightly. 

“If you want to make a retreat I have to tell you I won't deny myself the revenge I deserve.” Another voice said and Maria saw Justin Hammer enter the room.

“What... no... I... I just wasn't prepared to...” 

“To him trying to protect you?” He chuckled and she nodded.

“What are we doing, boss?” The first guy asked and Hammer pointed at the exit. 

“You know what to do. Make sure you have everything on tape. I want Tony to enjoy this thoroughly,” he said and when the guy left he turned to Maria. “You want to come?”

Maria nodded and followed Hammer.

“And by the way, don't forget you deserve him being punished as well. He killed the man you loved and you lost your unborn child because of him.”

“Yes, you're right.” She said and they entered the surveillance room together. 

The room they looked into wasn't really big. There were cameras in each corner to film everything. In the middle of the room was Barton, tied to a table with leather straps, his face covered with a cloth and one of the guys pouring water over him. He struggled and the guys stopped, lifted the cloth for a few seconds and then continued till he struggled again. They did this again and again and again, they didn't stop when he started to scream and they didn't stop when his voice was only a hoarse croak.

Only when he lost consciousness they stopped. Maria could see his wrists already chafed from his struggling. But when he came back and the guys looked at the one-way mirror Hammer activated the intercom and only said, “Do it.” And the Boss-man nodded.

“No! No, that was never part of the deal.” Maria gasped and stared at Hammer.

“I've told you that Stark has destroyed what was the most precious to me and now I'm going to destroy what is most precious to him.” 

“But that? You can't do _that_.” She stared disbelievingly at the men who untied Barton's legs and pulled at them till his ass was at the edge of the table and his hands, formerly tied at his sides, now were at shoulder height. She looked at him and had to swallow. _Oh god, he knows what they are going to do to him,_ she thought and she saw him only grit his teeth. That wasn't what she had in mind when that bastard promised her revenge. That's a line she would never cross deliberately because she knew what it would do to another person. She turned and wanted to stomp into the other room when Hammer and his remaining gorilla grabbed her and held her. 

“Hands off!” She spat and struggled but they turned her around to the one-way mirror.

They forced her to watch as the Boss-guy shoved his dick into Barton's unwilling body and he threw his head back, his face a pained grimace but still not fighting against the violation.

“No, please. Stop that. Anything but that.” 

“But Stark will enjoy this part the most.” Hammer chuckled and Maria fought against the hold but the guy was twice her size and knew what he did. So she was forced to stay and to watch while Barton got raped brutally. She could see the blood dripping to the floor and then the man grabbed his cock and stroked it and they forced him to orgasm. Maria couldn't hold back any longer, she doubled over and puked onto the floor. 

“Get her back to her cage.” Hammer snapped furiously and the last thing she could see was the first guy withdrawing and the next guy already waiting to take his place.


	5. Chapter 5

He was unconscious when they brought him back. Boss-guy grinned malicious at Maria when they threw Clint into his cage and locked him in. At least they hadn't chained him this time.

_Oh god, I never wanted this,_ she thought when she saw blood and semen on his legs. She remembered the pained expression on his face and she nearly retched again. _I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry,_ she apologized silently. 

Carefully she reached through the bars of their cages. She could reach him and she felt his pulse. He was alive, thank god. 

“Barton,” she tried and shook him slightly but he didn't move. He was out cold and would be for quite some time. 

“Why?” she asked, when Hammer finally appeared after his goons. “Why did you have to do this?” The man unwrapped a lollipop and grinned at her. 

“I've already told you.” He shoved the lollipop between his lips. “I just wish I could see Stark's face when he gets our little home video.”

“You are insane,” Maria glared at him but Hammer only chuckled and left the room. It was only the two prisoners and two goons who guarded them. 

_Oh god, what have I done?_ she asked herself quietly and leaned her head back. 

She was nearly dozed off, when she heard a groan from the cage beside her and Barton began to stir. She waited till he was fully awake. 

“Hey,” she said and he groaned again. “How are you?” 

“Hurts,” he mumbled. 

“Yes, you've bled. It seems as if it had stopped now.” She didn't dare to look at him directly but when she glanced sideways at him she saw him looking down at his legs and he saw the mess Hammer's guys left. And then she heard him retch and he barely managed to turn away to not puke on himself. 

“Fuck!” He muttered when he inspected the mess beside him. 

“Sorry, I...” Maria started but then shut her mouth.

“Not your fault. That happens every time.” 

“That... what?” She stared at him, her eyes wide, her mouth open. Clint groaned when he tried to get into a more comfortable position. He leaned himself against the bars to take as much pressure from his backside as possible but he was able to survey his surroundings. 

“That... the... the puking. That happens... every time... you know... afterwards.” 

“Oh god, please don't tell me that wasn't the first time.” Maria closed her eyes. _Oh god, what have I done?_

“Sorry to disappoint you.” Clint mumbled again. “At least this time it was my choice and I wasn't forced to like it.”

“This time...” Maria mumbled and nearly had to puke herself again. “When...”

He closed his eyes for a few seconds before he quietly answered. “Loki.”

“But this is not in your medical report.” She finally turned to him and she saw him smile this smirk she never could interpret.

“Do you really think this is something I want to have in my file? I know how to cope with it.” 

“Oh my god, this is...” she started but he cut her off with a glance.

“Don't... don't do that.”

“What am I doing?” 

“This... pity thing. I don't need that. Like I said, I can cope with it.” 

“But how? How do you cope with _that_?” Maria asked and stared at Clint. 

“It's either that or you break.” He said. Earnestly. “It will hurt a few weeks, I will get nightmares for a few months but I won't break.” 

“Oh, you're awake. Good to see. Then we can continue,” Boss-guy came in and grinned at Clint.

“No!” Maria snarled and rose into a half sitting, half kneeling position and glared at him. “You don't touch him.”

“I'm afraid you don't have a say in this,” the man grinned and then pointed at the other cage. “Get him.”

“It's okay, I can handle this,” Clint said when they pulled him out. He didn't struggle and Maria knew it was her fault and hers alone. He would've fought but they let him think that he could protect her and that was nauseating. 

“No, you don't have to do this,” she tried again. _Goddammit, give that man some sense!_ He let the men grab his arms and they led him out and into the next room but they didn't close the door. 

“Leave him alone, please,” she pleaded when the men and Barton were out of earshot.

“We can tell him about your nice little agreement with Mr. Hammer, if you want.” Boss-guy grinned evilly.

“No,” she paled. They couldn't do this. 

“Then shut up and listen,” he snarled and turned to follow the other men. 

Maria sat back in her cage, she pulled her knees up to her body. _Oh god, what have I done?_

She had thought to see what they'd done to Barton was bad. But to no more than hear it was by far worse. She could hear something what sounded like leather straps connecting with human skin. They whip him. She could hear painful groans and after a while they finally wrenched a scream out of him. And others followed. 

“No, please! Stop that!” she yelled and the guard who was back said, he would zap her with a cattle prod if she didn't close her mouth. 

“Don't hurt him, it's all my fault,” she whimpered quietly when the screams from the other room got even more pained. She tried to block her ears but that wasn't entirely possible and so she started to hum in addition to drown out the noises. 

_Please, god, let it stop. Let the Avengers find us. I'll take all the consequences but please let this stop. That wasn't what I had in mind._ She wasn't religious but now she gave it a try.

She realized that the whipping had stopped but Barton still screamed and she had a good idea what they were doing to him right now. And then the pictures sneaked back into her mind. Barton tied, his legs spread wide and the guys raping him, the blood dripping to the floor, the pained expression and no sign that he would struggle. He let them do it voluntarily, let them touch him, let them take away his dignity to protect her and she knew she didn't deserve it. 

_Please, let it stop!_ she rocked in her cage, her arms wrapped around her head and her knees drawn to her body.

When someone kicked her cage she finally looked up to see a grinning Justin Hammer, his usual lollypop in his mouth. 

“It's a pity that you haven't seen this. He suffers so exquisitely. Do you know that he came twice? He likes it.” Hammer chuckled and turned to leave when he saw his gorillas drag an unconscious Barton back and threw him into his cage.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,” she mumbled again and again and watched the unconscious man.


	6. Chapter 6

“Why are you still doing this?” Maria spat when she was alone in a room with Hammer. Boss-guy had fetched her because _The Man_ wanted to talk to her.

“How often do I have to tell you this?” He lifted one brow.

“You said you would rough him up thoroughly and then hold him for ransom. You said you wanted Stark's money.” Maria paced and wrapped the robe they gave her tight around herself.

“Yeah, well... I lied.” He grinned happily and Maria thought about to strangle him. 

“Leave him alone. Please. He has enough.” She finally sat down and swallowed when she saw the insane smirk.

“No. It was Stark's fault that I had to go to jail. Do you have any idea what they have done to me in there?” He glared now. “No, you don't have a clue. But he will get it when I'm done with him.” 

“Why... I mean... why don't you... get Stark?” Maria asked and a muscle twitched at her chin.

“He would change places without hesitation. And then he would suffer so virtuously. No, this will hurt him more than to feel the pain himself. To see the man he loves, helpless, violated, writhing in pain... and all he can do is watch... to be not able to help him... _that_ really hurts him.” 

“You are insane.” Maria shook her head and Hammer shrugged.

“Probably. But don't forget, you have given him to me. You have the same blood on your hands than me,” he giggled.

“I'll tell him. I'll tell him the truth and then...” 

“You do that and I cut off his fingers.” Hammer leaned forward, his fingertips pressed together and he looked at her over the rim of his glasses.

“You can't do that.” Maria was shocked.

“Why?” he cocked his head.

“You _are_ insane.” 

“She's boring. Lock her up,” Hammer said to Boss-guy and rose to leave the room.

When they brought her back Clint was still out cold. Boss-guy shoved her in the empty cage and closed the door and Maria could see the welts on Barton's body when she looked into the other cage.

It was brutal what they had done to him, she could see it and she regretted her decision to listen to this nutcase every second. Yes, she wanted revenge, she wanted him hurting but this? This was way too much.

She was nearly dozed off when she heard a painful groan beside her. 

“Barton!” she gasped. 

“Whom did you expect?” Clint mumbled quietly while he stirred.

“Sorry, I didn't want to...” she started.

“S'okay,” he interrupted her and she turned her head away, she couldn't look at him. “Did... did anyone say what they want from us?” he finally asked.

“Stark's money. That's why they film what they do to you. They send it to Stark.”

“Oh god, no.” Clint gasped and sat up carefully. “No, please tell me that's a joke.”

“I'm afraid it's not.” 

“No, he... he can't stand it.” Clint seemed desperate. “He... he can't... he can't stand it... he will sleep even less... and... fuck!” 

“Stark? Sleeping problems?” Maria couldn't repress a snort but that got her a really angry glare from Clint.

“Stop calling him Stark! And why is that so... inconceivable?” 

“Sta... I mean, Tony Stark. He... he seems so incredibly self-assured and self-absorbed, why would he have problems to sleep?” 

“Because he cares. He cares more than anyone would give him credit for. That, what you see, is just a persona. Not many people know the 'real' Tony. He still has nightmares from his ordeal in Afghanistan, from all the people who died because of the weapons his company built, because he fears that the next time when someone attacks he won't be fast enough to save the world, because of the fucking nuke the goddamn WSC nearly dropped on New York, he never sleeps more than a few hours, if at all. To see this... that will worsen his nightmares. God, we have to do something. We have to get out.” 

“You really care about him?” She looked at him and lifted a brow. 

“Of course I care about him. I _love_ him.” That moment Clint saw her glance. “What? You think I'm with him because of his money? Oh yeah, I know! That mongrel Barton, born white trash, grown up in the orphanage and then with the circus and suddenly he 'falls in love' with the billionaire. It's obviously the money.” 

“No, that's not...”

“That's not what you or anyone else believes?” He was really angry now.

“I never wanted to...” 

“Yeah, I know... But I tell you what. I don't want his money and I don't need his money. And I would still marry him even if he were as poor as a church mouse. That's why _I_ insisted on a prenup when we marry.” 

“You... you're going to marry?” Maria asked and she felt a lump in her throat. 

“He asked me a few weeks ago.” All the anger drained out of Clint all of a sudden. 

“You are going to marry.” Maria repeated. She blinked once, twice and then swallowed again.

“Yes, Tony... he said he want to make me a honest man before we get a child,” he even smiled a little bit, despite the pain he obviously was in.

“You are going to marry and you are going to get a child?” 

“Yes. We're just not sure if we should adopt or hire a surrogate mother.”

“ You are going to marry and you are going to get a child.”

“Maria? Is... is everything okay? You're acting weird.” Clint was concerned when he saw her strange expression. 

“No... no. Everything is fine.” She said and looked at him. “Everything is perfectly fine. Congratulations,” she smiled at him but inwardly her whole world broke down. Everything, everything she wanted, a husband, a child, a family, he gets now. She turned her head and looked at him once again.

“Everything is perfectly fine.”


	7. Chapter 7

“Hurt him!” she demanded when she was with Hammer again. The man rose from his chair and lifted a brow while he walked around her. She pulled the gown tight around her body and glared at him.

“You've changed your mind?” he smirked and unwrapped a lollipop.

“Obviously.” Maria spat and pressed her lips together.

“You want to tell me why?” Hammer shoved the candy between his lips.

“Does it matter?” She cocked her head and folded her hands in front of he chest.

“I don't know. Does it?” 

“I've changed my mind. I want him hurting. And I want to see it.” 

“Is it because he's going to marry and getting a child?” Hammer grinned and sat down on his armchair once again, his leg thrown over rest.

“You've listened.” It wasn't a question.

“Of course I've listened. Did you expect anything else?” 

“No. So, about you hurting him...” 

“Anything particular you have in mind?” Hammer asked and pursed his lips.

“Yes. I have an idea. He won't like it.” 

“Okay, let's have a little bit fun with Tony's favorite toy.” 

 

 

Clint was alone when he woke up. The cage beside him was empty and one of the guards was gone. 

“Hey!” he called the other guard but the man ignored him.

“Hey, where's the woman!” The man still didn't look at Clint.

“She's not here.” Boss-guy said this moment. He came with two other men and grinned maliciously at Clint. 

“You've said you wouldn't do anything to her.” Clint spat and glared at him.

“Uhm... no. I'm pretty sure that I never said anything like that.” 

“You've asked if I want to take her place.” 

“Yes, but no one said that we wouldn't touch her.” 

“What have you done to her?” Clint grabbed the bars of his cage and stared at the man.

“Nothing so far. But it depends on you if that stays so.” Boss-guy stepped forward and touched Clint's hand with his finger in a very intimately way.

“What do you want?” Clint asked and drew his hand back as if he had burned it.

“We want to make a very special video for your lover.”

“No... no, you can't...” Clint swallowed.

“It's your decision. You can save the woman or you can refuse to do the video.” The guy chuckled when he saw the expression on Clint's face. He was furious and desperate at the same moment and he really wanted to strangle that bastard for this decision he had to make. 

“I... I'll do it. The video.” He said and closed his eyes again for a second. He knew it would probably hurt Tony enormous but right now he had to keep Maria safe. He couldn't let them hurt her. Boss-guy nodded at his two goons and they opened the cage.

“Don't forget. One bad move and we hurt the woman.” Clint glared at him and if looks could kill the guy would've burnt to ash right now. But he followed the guys through to the room where they had tortured him the last time and he swallowed when he saw what they had in mind. On a bed was Maria, still naked but tied spread eagle to the bedposts. They had blindfolded her and gagged her and she tried to get rid of the ties around her wrists. 

“Okay, loverboy. You go in and... take her.” Boss-guy grinned maliciously.

“What?” Clint turned violently and stared as if he had lost his mind. “You can't expect me to...” 

“Yes, we can.” Boss-guy interrupted him. “It's either you do it or we do it and when we do it you can take her back in a plastic bag.” 

“You know that I'm not into... you know... women.” Clint tried once again but Boss-guy nodded at the two thugs he had with him and they grabbed Clint's arms. The man reached into the inside pocket of his suit and got out a syringe. With a grin he snatched Clint's dick and injected something into the base, put the syringe away and attached a cockring. Whatever he had injected already started to work and with a few strokes Clint was hard, much to his embarrassment.

“You are not allowed to talk to her or to give her any sign or hint. You go in and take her. And make it painful or we kill her and you get her back in little slices. Understood?”

“Yes,” he gritted through his teeth. He closed his eyes for a second and then turned to the bed. 

_I'm sorry, Maria, I'm so sorry,_ he thought but with shaking hands he finally climbed onto the mattress and he saw Maria startle.


	8. Chapter 8

When they brought her back to the cages her hands were tied behind her back to give Clint the impression of being helpless as well. She found the archer sitting in one of the corners of his cage, his knees drawn up to his body and his arms wrapped tight around them. She could see tears in his eyes and he seemed shattered. Inwardly she grinned but she forced her face to show fear and pain and one look in her direction let Barton wince in shame and guilt. 

He waited till the guards had thrown her into the cage and removed the ties before he crawled over to the bars between them. 

“Maria? You okay?” he asked carefully and she glared at him and saw him shrink back slightly.

“I... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry,” he said quietly and swallowed but Maria took the chance to get away from him purposefully. She folded herself into a tiny ball and she could see Barton wince even more. “Stay away,” she hissed and when she saw his expression she had to repress the urge to laugh.

“I'm sorry... they said they would hurt you... I... I didn't want it but... I couldn't let them hurt you,” he explained and reached for the bars.

“Instead you decided _you_ could hurt me?” she spat and it was as if she had slapped him. He swallowed again.

“I'm really sorry.” His voice was barely audible and he moved back to the corner he sat in when they had brought her back. _Yes, I'm pretty sure you're sorry. As sorry as you've been the moment you've killed Steve and our child!_ she thought and glared at him again. 

Boss-guy had watched his performance with Maria while filming them and after a while he had removed the blindfold and she had played the shocked and scared victim to perfection. She wanted him to be aware what kind of monster he is. 

But now, back in their cages, she couldn't enjoy his suffering to the fullest, it had to be this moment for the Avengers to find them. She could hear them fight against Hammer's goons and then someone burst into the room. Iron Man. 

“Tony,” Barton breathed when he saw his lover in his armor coming over to them. Unceremoniously Stark ripped out the doors of the cages.

“Clint, are you okay?” he asked when he had opened the faceplate of his suit and looked over his lover. Barton nodded and then he turned to her to get her out of the cage. When a few SHIELD agents entered the room Stark shielded her against their glances and snapped at them that they should bring some clothes. 

“Thank you,” she pressed through her teeth. They came too early. They found them way too early. Hammer had promised her that the Avengers wouldn't find them so early. Two weeks he had promised her. Fuck Hammer, incompetent idiot, she cursed inwardly. 

Stark waited for Agent Harris to get them some blankets before he hugged Barton and Maria left the room with the agent. 

To her dismay they had caught Justin Hammer. Rogers and Romanov just shoved him into one of the waiting quinjets. Great, now she had to get rid of this idiot as well before he could reveal that she was involved in this plan. She saw Thor and a few other agents dragging captured guys out of the building, an old factory of... Hammer Industries. _Fucking idiot!_ she thought and went, together with Agent Harris, to the one quinjet where Dr. Banner was waiting for them. 

“Agent Hill,” he greeted when he saw her and she nodded, pulled the blanket tight around her and tried to preserve her 'victim' persona. Maybe she could play off a few of his teammates against him. It was worth a try. She gave Banner her best 'don't touch me, I'm hurt' show and she saw his worried expression. 

“Are you okay, Agent Hill?” Banner asked and she let her head snap up, stared at him with her eyes wide and her lips quivering. 

“I... I'm fine...” she stammered and grabbed the blanket and wrapped it around herself tighter.

“Are you sure?” he asked and tried to place a hand on her shoulder and she shrank back violently. 

“Yes... yes... I... I'm fine,” she repeated and swallowed visible.

“It's okay, I won't hurt you.” Banner let his hand sink down. 

“Did they harm you? Are you injured?” he asked once more and looked really concerned right now. 

“No, they...” she started. That moment luck was on her side. Barton, still wrapped in the blanket, and Stark appeared at the ramp and Maria stepped back and took Banner's arm. The scientist looked at her, then at Barton and now it was him who swallowed. 

“No offense, Clint. But I think it's better you two don't fly in the same jet,” Banner said and looked at the younger man with a slightly disapproving glance. Apparently he'd seen the signs before because Banner reacted just like Maria wanted him to. Barton looked at Stark and nodded and they went to the quinjet with Hammer and his goons in it. This moment, when she hid her face on Banner's shoulder she couldn't repress a grin any longer.


	9. Chapter 9

Maria just came from medical. They had released her on her own responsibility. But before she left Doctor Martin had done a rape kit and she knew that she found Barton's spunk in her. Maybe she was lucky that they found them just this moment after all. She couldn't punish Barton any longer but she could destroy him. There was only one thing she needed to do, to ensure that Hammer would keep his trap shut. 

She went to the holding cells in the basement but the agent on duty stopped her.

“I'm sorry, Agent Hill. I'm not allowed to let anyone in. Director Fury's order.” He swallowed nervously. 

“Agent...” she didn't know his name. 

“Almodovar,” the young man said and she nodded.

“Agent Almodovar. You know who I am?” 

“Yes, ma'am. But Director Fury prohibited specifically to let anyone but him to the prisoner and particularly not you, Agent Barton or Mr. Stark.” 

Okay, the guy was a tough cookie. Time for plan b. 

“I won't kill him, I promise. But after all this shitbag had done... I need to see him. And if he has a bruise or two more when I leave, who cares?” she tried her best puppy eyes and apparently he bought it because he shifted from one foot to the other. 

“Ma'am... I'll get in trouble. I _can't_ let you in. And by the way, there are cameras in there and then we both would be in trouble.” 

“Okay, Agent. I understand.” She looked at the floor and let her shoulders slump. “You're doing your job.” When she turned she heard him clearing his throat.

“Uhm... ma'am. Would it... would it be okay for you to take my place for a minute or two? I... I need to use the restroom.” Almodovar looked as innocently as possible but Maria gave him a tiny smile.

“Yes, Agent. That would be okay.” He nodded at her and then he left, his lips pressed tight together.

Maria went to the monitoring desk, switched off the cameras and opened the cell door before she strolled to Hammer's cell.

“We have two minutes at best,” she said as soon as she was inside. 

“What do you want?” Hammer snarled. He sat on the floor, his arms on his knees and glared up at her.

“I can help you to disappear but it's necessary that you keep quiet. I'll talk to your goons as well but if you want to leave this facility alive you have to keep your mouth shut. Am I clear?” 

“Yes, yes, I understand. What do you have in mind?” He rose and wiped his hands on his pants.

“I don't know. Not yet. But I'll get you out. Just... just keep quiet.” She turned and wanted to leave but then she remembered why she was here... well... _officially_. 

“Sorry, but... I told them I'm here to _talk_ to you... you know.” Hammer winced. He knew what it meant but he stayed still when Maria slammed her fist into his face. She left the cell and looked around the corner. Almodovar wasn't back yet. She hurried to the other cells and told Hammer's thugs that they should keep quiet and she would help them escape. They all nodded and just when she closed the last hatch she saw the young agent return.

She switched on the cameras and smiled, when the young man took his seat behind the monitoring desk. He looked at the screen where Hammer sat on the floor again and held his nose and lifted one brow. 

“He fell,” she said and the man nodded. 

“Clutz,” he muttered quietly and smiled when she left.


	10. Chapter 10

“Can you stay?” Clint asked when the doctor, a woman in her late forties, chubby, blonde, came into the examination room. He sat on the examination table and looked up at Tony. The older man who stood beside him nodded and took his hand. 

Clint closed his eyes when he saw the doctor glare at him. Apparently one of those who lost people during the battle on the helicarrier. He read her name tag. Dr. Angela Martin. The name didn't ring a bell. 

She glared at him over the rim of her glasses and then at Tony before she put on rubber gloves. 

“Strip,” she said a little bit too harshly and Clint saw Tony open his mouth to give her a piece of his mind but he squeezed his hand and when Tony looked down at him he just shook his head. 

With a sigh he removed the clothes Natasha had given him in the quinjet and handed them to Tony who held them. He saw him grit his teeth when he sat down again. Tony took a look at Clint's body, at the welts from the whipping and the hand shaped bruises on his hips. 

“I'm sorry,” he murmured and Tony's head snapped up. 

“Why? What have you to be sorry about?” Apparently he hadn't seen the last video yet. Otherwise he would've gone by now. He had cheated on him. With a woman. With Maria Hill of all people. He wasn't sure if Tony could forgive him. 

“Please, don't go. Not yet. If you want to go I can understand but... please... not yet.” 

“Clint, what are you talking about? I won't leave you. Why would I?” Tony was confused and the doctor's snort wasn't helpful at all. She had started to clean the torture marks on his back and wasn't too careful. Tony could see the younger man wince in pain and his anger increased again. 

“I... I didn't want it... really... they said... they said they would kill her... but... but I had to do it. I... had to... please, Tony. I'm sorry.” 

The doctor muttered something behind his back. Clint didn't understand her but obviously Tony had. 

“Listen, lady! I don't know what kind of problem you have but could you do your fucking job and do it quietly,” he spat. 

“He can be thankful that someone is here to do this, fucking pervert!” Dr. Martin hissed and pressed on one of the welts really hard. Clint couldn't hold back a wince and the grip around Tony's hand tightened. 

“The fuck are you talking about?” 

“The fuck I'm talking about? Ask Agent Hill,” she snarled and Tony squinted his eyes.

“They made me, Tony. Really... I didn't want it... they injected something in... in me... to get it up... I really didn't want it. I'm sorry that I cheated on you...” Clint was pretty out of it. He was in pain and upset about what he had done and the doctor's accusations weren't helpful at all. 

“Oh, that's what it is called nowadays,” Dr. Martin muttered and threw her gloves into the waste bucket before she left.

“Clint, baby, come on. Talk to me. What happened? What did they want you to do?”

“Tony... they... they forced me to... they forced me to rape her. They said they would kill her. I had to do it or they would've killed her. But I didn't want it. Please, you have to believe me.” He could see Tony pale and swallow. That was it. He would leave. 

“Don't go,” he pleaded again. He couldn't stand it. Not now. The last time he had had Natasha who was there with him. But this? This was worse. Now he was the monster who forced himself on someone else and Tony? Tony would leave. He was pretty sure. 

“Shh... it's okay, I believe you,” the older man said instead and sat down on a stool beside him. “I'm not going anywhere. You didn't have a chance. You've done what you had to to save her.” 

The doctor came back and glared at the two men.

“I'm finished. Get him the hell outta here!” Tony wasn't a doctor but he was pretty sure that she couldn't be done. Clint had these bruises on his hips and Tony knew what they meant. He knew. He had had the same bruises in the cave in Afghanistan. But Dr. Martin didn't even bother to take a look at him. He could be teared.

“You're not finished. You finish what you've started or...” 

“... or what, Mr. Stark? You can't get me fired because I don't work for you. And you won't find a doctor here who tells you otherwise. Barton is okay, he can leave.” She shot daggers with her eyes and Tony glared back. 

“It's okay. I'll leave.” Clint said and started to rise but Tony shook his head.

“No. I want that woman to finish your treatment.” He squeezed Clint's hand a bit and placed his other hand on his shoulder.

“To the best of my believe there isn't anything more to do.” 

“Tony, please. It's okay. I'll go. Can we go home?” Tony finally looked down and saw the expression on Clint's face and he nodded.

“We're not done. This will have consequences.” Tony spat and the woman just shrugged and left the room again. “Come on, babe. Let's get you out here. Bruce can take a look when we're at home,” he said and handed him his clothes.


	11. Chapter 11

“You've gotta be kidding,” Tony hissed when he and Bruce had left the bedroom where Clint lay on the bed, the blanket drawn up to his chin and his eyes closed. “What do you mean, you can't do that?” 

“Tony, first of all I'm not a medical doctor and you _know_ that... and then, after what he did...”

“What he did? What _he_ did? Bruce, he is your friend and...” Tony glared furiously at the other scientist when he interrupted him. 

“I've seen Agent Hill's injuries and...” 

“You want me to show you the videos this asshole Hammer had sent me? They forced him! He got tortured, Bruce, and... and worse. He's a victim as well and he needs treatment. Those assholes at Shield-HQ refused to...”

“I'm sorry, Tony,” Bruce retreated, slightly green around the edges and Tony stared after him disbelievingly. 

“Jarvis? Get me a doctor. And I don't care how late it is, get me someone who can help Clint.” Tony pressed through his teeth and went back to the bedroom.

“Hey babe,” he whispered quietly when he sat down beside Clint. “A doctor will be here soon.” 

“Okay,” Clint nodded and took Tony's hand. “Where's Bruce?” he asked and looked up at him.

“He doesn't feel well. Jarvis will get you a doctor.” 

“It's okay. I don't need a doctor.” Clint murmured and closed his eyes again and Tony could see that he was still hurting. The Shield assholes had refused to give him some painkillers. 

“Yes, you do. And you will get proper treatment and if it's the last thing I do.” Tony was furious.

“Sir, Agent Romanov asks if she can see Agent Barton,” Jarvis announced and Tony looked at Clint. When he saw him nodding he told the AI to let her in. 

“Hey, Barton,” the Russian said when she entered the bedroom. Clint had tried to sit up but Tony didn't let him. “How are you?” she smiled at her long time partner and best friend.

“Fine,” he lied immediately. She knew him too well.

“No, you're not.” Tony looked at her, then nodded and left the two of them alone.

“How's Maria?” he asked and Nat winced slightly. Well, someone who didn't know her wouldn't have seen it but Clint saw it. 

“She's... okay, I guess. I haven't talked to her. But she didn't have to stay in the infirmary and so... I guess she's okay.” She sat down beside him on the bed and looked him over.

“Nat...” Clint started and Natasha could hear the pain in his voice. He wouldn't tell anyone but he was really hurting, she could see it. She was the only one Stark had let in to watch the videos and she was more than a little bit green afterwards. 

“I know what they have done to you, Clint. Tony showed me the videos. How can I help you? Do you want me to kill Hammer? I can do that. It will look like an accident. Or like a natural death. You know that.”

“No, Phil said he will take care of him. And you know his style.” Yes, she knew. Hammer would probably end in a prison in some godforsaken country where they never had heard anything about something like human rights.

Someone softly knocked at the door and Tony opened it the next second. 

“Clint, Dr. Brown is here. She will treat your injuries.” 

“Okay,” Clint nodded and Natasha nearly raised a brow. She knew how bad it had to be when Clint didn't refuse medical treatment but she rose when she saw the woman behind Tony. She had a friendly face and Natasha nodded at her. 

“Call me, if you need something,” she said and left the bedroom.

Outside waited Tony for her and she could see that he was worried. 

“Those fuckers refused to take care of him,” he whispered and Natasha could see the wrath bubble up in him.

“But why? Did they say something?” Natasha knew that most of the doctors weren't really fond of Clint due to his record of disappearances. And then, after Loki, many people still thought it was his fault. But in all her time with Shield she had never seen that they refused medical treatment.

“He said that Hammer's goons had forced him to...” Tony licked his lips and took a deep breath. “They forced him to... have _sex_ with Maria. He said he didn't want it and you know him, maybe better than me. You know that he would never force himself on someone and definitely not on a woman. He said, they had to give him some drugs to... to get it up.”

“Oh my god, no one told me. But I know that there are rumors at HQ that something happened.” Natasha pressed her lips together. 

“Natasha... I think... I think Bruce believes it's true. And I don't know what he tells Cap and Thor but...” Tony folded his arms in front of his chest.

“I'll talk to them. To all of them.” She placed a hand on his arm and that was so untypical Natasha that he had to concentrate himself not to flinch at the sudden contact. “Stark... Tony, we will sort that out. I promise. I'll talk to Bruce, Steve and Thor and then I'll drive over to Shield-HQ. I will find out what happened.”

“Can you take a look for the video? He said, they made a video of his... encounter with Maria.” Tony said and Natasha nodded. She even smiled at him and this one wasn't scary, it was warm and sincere and Tony knew that at least the Russian had Clint's back... together with him. When she was gone he went back to the bedroom to check if there was something he could do for Clint.


	12. Chapter 12

“It's gone,” she spat when she was back from Shield-HQ. Tony looked up to where Natasha stood. 

“What?!” 

“The video. I wanted to take a look but it's gone. The camera is gone, the video is gone.” She flopped down on the couch beside Tony and growled something Russian into her chin.

“How's that possible? I mean, Agent said he will take it to the evidence room. _Agent!_ He wouldn't lose the video, would he? Or do you think...”

“What? Phil? Never.” 

“What happened then?” Tony asked quietly and placed a hand carefully on the sleeping assassin's chest beside him. 

“I don't know. I've checked surveillance but there's nothing to see. No one was in.”

“Maybe someone has tampered with your surveillance system?” Tony suggested and Natasha shrugged. 

“Possible,” she bit her lip. 

“Jarvis? Can we hack into Shield's surveillance system?” Tony addressed his AI.

“Of course, Sir,” Jarvis answered and sounded a little bit offended that his creator of all people questioned his abilities. He nodded at Natasha and she slid over when Tony rose, took Clint's head on her leg and places her hand on his shoulder. He didn't wake up. The painkillers Dr. Brown had given him had knocked him out. Tony took one of his StarkPads and started to type, sometimes he muttered something unintelligible. And then he frowned. 

“Yup, someone tampered with the surveillance system. There's a loop.” 

“Can you find out who did it?” Natasha asked and when Tony looked at her with a 'seriously?' expression on his face she grinned. “Of course you can.” 

“Hmm...” he said after a while, still frowning at the screen.

“Stark... complete sentences please!” He handed her the Pad and pressed a button. She saw eight different screens from the surveillance cameras in the evidence room. 

“You see the person on screen one?” Natasha nodded. The person wore a Shield-uniform and a baseball cap but due to the clothing no one could identify him or her on screen. He or she knew, where the cameras were. “And now let's start the videos.”

The person moved through screen one, she could see it on screen two, screen three, screen four but when the figure should appear on screen five nothing happened. 

“Where's he gone?” Natasha asked.

“I'm not sure if it's a he. Look at the features and the walk. I'm pretty sure it's a woman.” Tony scratched his head. “And I don't know... I'm sure I know who this is.” Natasha looked up and furrowed her brows.

“I think it's Hill.” 

“Why...” 

“When Agent came and told him that he had to go on a mission with her he said she hates him. And I got the impression that he's right. It makes sense. Hill always sends him on the shittiest missions and this time they got captured and... and he got tortured.”

“Tony, don't you think you overreact a bit? I mean, Maria Hill... she's the Deputy Director. Why would she... I don't know... Do you know what you're suggesting?” 

“That your Deputy Director collaborates with _the enemy_ , even if it's just Hammer? That she sabotaged a mission voluntarily? That she handed Clint over to said enemy to get tortured? Yes, I guess that's what I'm implying.” Tony run his hand through his hair. 

“Okay, then we have two problems. How do we prove it? And what was her reason?”

“Jarvis? I need Maria Hill's personnel file. The uncensored version. And I need a video where Hill is walking.” 

The screen on the StarkPad changed and Jarvis showed and older surveillance clip from Maria on the bridge of the helicarrier. 

“Compare Maria Hill to the person from the evidence room.” 

“The two have the same height and according to their movement pattern they are the same. The person in the evidence room is Agent Hill.” 

“Fuck!” Natasha swore. “But why? I mean, I know that Clint can be an annoying brat sometimes but...” she stopped and the swallowed. “Oh my god! Oh! My! God! Jarvis? Do you already have her file?” 

“Yes, Agent Romanov.” 

“Show me, please.” Tony handed her the StarkPad and she skimmed through the pages. “Damn, I thought so.” 

“What's the problem?” 

“She's second in command, that's the problem.” Natasha cursed once more in Russian. “She modified her file. I know that she was engaged with a Shield agent. I think that could be her motive. And a note should be there. But as you can see, there's nothing.” She gave Tony the Pad again. 

“Why? I mean, why should it be in her file?” 

Natasha sighed. “Shield policy. It's not forbidden for two agents to be together but it had to go to your file. If you're together with another agent you're not allowed to work together. Of course there are a few exceptions, Clint and Phil for example. But usually when two agents are together they don't work together and that's why there's a note in your file. And there are only three persons who can change the personnel files. Fury, Phil and Hill.” 

“Fuck!” Tony slammed his hand on his knee and Clint mumbled something sleepily into his chin.

“We need to go to Fury's personal server.” 

“Jarvis...” Tony started but Natasha shook her head.

“No. Physical presence required.” She looked down at Clint who had moved in his sleep.

“Do we tell the team?” Tony asked and Natasha shook her head slowly. 

“No, it's better we do it alone. Only you and me.” She rubbed her face and sighed. “I've talked to them. I'm not sure but I think Thor believes us, Steve is unsure and Bruce... Bruce is...”

“... on Hill's side.” Tony finished her sentence and the Russian nodded. 

“Yeah. I've asked him why, he said he'd seen what rape does to a woman. Apparently General Ross' daughter got raped during her college time. That's why he believes Hill.” 

“But he knows Clint. He knows that he wouldn't do such a thing to her. Not after... after what Hammer's goons had done to him.” Tony threw his arms in the air in desperation. Bruce of all people, his sciencebro. How could he believe that Clint would rape a woman?

“That was what I've said to him but... he got green and I left him alone.” 

“Fuck! Okay, that means you and me.” Tony looked at Clint who clutched Natasha's hand now. He started to move in his sleep, threw his head from side to side. In an instant Tony was beside him, shook him slightly, “Clint? Clint, baby. Shh... It's okay. You're safe. It's just a bad dream. You're completely safe here. Nothing can happen to you. Natasha is here and I'm here. Shhh... Everything is okay,” Tony quietly murmured in Clint's ear, stroked his face carefully and after some time the younger man calmed down without waking up. 

“He has them a lot?” Natasha asked and Tony nodded. 

“A few times a night. I'm glad Dr. Brown gave him some pills or he wouldn't have slept since he's back.” 

“He will get better. You know it's not his first time. He always gets better. Just be there for him,” Natasha patted Tony's shoulder. “Okay, I'll leave you two alone now. I have work to do, make a plan to steal Hill's file from Fury's server. Will you manage?” Tony looked up at her and nodded.

“Yes. Thanks, Natasha. I... thanks.” 

“Anytime,” the Russian smiled and Tony knew she meant it.


	13. Chapter 13

“Done,” Tony said and smirked grimly. Natasha patted his shoulder and rose to leave their hide-out. She opened the hatch and looked down in the elevator and with a graceful movement she was down in the cabin. Tony stayed back on top of the elevator, a comm in his ear and connected to Natasha. He had hacked into the security system and was her eyes and ears on her way to Fury's office. 

“Stop, there's someone in the room with the open door,” he guided her through the corridors. The agents in the control room would see only an empty corridor right now. He just stopped the picture. To insert a loop could be detected but the recording just stopped for a few seconds till Natasha was through and then it went on as if nothing had happened. Tony was a little bit proud of himself and thought, that one day, if SI should go bankrupt, he could at least earn his money as burglar. 

“They don't look. Move!” He looked at the screen and saw Natasha pass the open door and he knew that she was deadly silent. It didn't take the two too long and Natasha was on the floor with Fury's office and they had managed to avoid every person around. 

“It's empty,” Tony said. Fury's office was a case on it's own. It requires an eye scan, a hand scan and a computer generated code on a code card. And that code changes after each use. The hand and the eye scan were easy. Fury's been in his tower a few times and Tony could use the recordings Jarvis had made. All those spies wouldn't enter his tower anymore if they some day find out what Jarvis really was capable to do. 

The hard part was the code. He had built a device for Natasha to take with her. She had to enter the _card_ into the card slot and then he could connect the device through his StarkPad to the SI satellite, he had rerouted earlier that evening. He had written a program to decode the door lock but it needed time. 

“Come on, Stark. I'm on display,” Natasha hurried him but Tony stayed calm.

“I still control the security system. No one can see you,” he murmured and looked at the screen. 27%. 

“Fuck! Stark, I can hear someone.” Natasha looked around but she couldn't see anyone. Tony had an eye on the camera screens and he saw an agent coming along.

“Hide,” he said and Natasha cursed in Russian. She took the device and stuck it under the the door lock with her chewing gum. If the guy didn't look at the lock he wouldn't see it. The problem was, Natasha was still in the corridor. With another curse she went a few steps and pressed herself into a corner. The agent wouldn't see her immediately but if he was close enough then she would be visible. 

Tony held his breath when the man was close but then Natasha moved. He was pretty sure that the human body shouldn't be able to do the things he'd just seen but apparently Natasha wasn't entirely human. Before the agent could realize that someone hid in the corner she had him in a grip and he was out cold only a few seconds later. She placed the man in the corner now and went back to the device. 74%.

“Dammit, Stark. How long does this take?” she grumbled and Tony snorted slightly.

“Do you have any idea how complicated this code is?” he asked and Natasha glared in the direction of the camera. “Okay, okay. We're at 79%,” he said and checked the corridors again.

Tony looked at the screen and saw her tapping her foot impatiently. 

“Three, two, one... aaaand... it's open,” he murmured and with a last glare Natasha entered her boss's office. She started his computer and plugged in the StarkPad Tony had given her. 

“Okay, it's connected. What now?” she asked and Tony hummed quietly. He already hacked the password. 

“Need a few seconds,” he murmured and Natasha sighed. But then she left the office, went out to the unconscious agent and dragged him into the room. She draped him over the old, ratty couch Fury loved so much before she closed the door again.

“Stark, we don't have the whole night.” 

“I'm in. Searching for the data... yup... found it... downloading...” he explained what he did while Natasha looked out for other agents. “Done. Get out.” She grabbed the StarkPad and shut the computer down but when she opened the door she heard a clicking sound. 

“Uh oh,” she mumbled and looked around. She had overlooked the second security lock from the inside. When she entered the room for the first time she left the door ajar but the second time she closed it. 

“Damn! Stay, where you are, Tony. I'm on my way!” Tony saw her ran along the corridors and he still tried to hide her from the cameras but when it got out of his control because she was too fast he just shut down the whole monitoring system. But that activated the alarm. 

“Fuck! What have you done?” she asked and hid in an empty room when she heard agents in the corridors. 

“I shut down the cameras,” Tony said and Natasha cursed once more. She waited till the agents passed the room before she ran out again. Tony tried to navigate her around her colleagues as good as possible. 

“You set of the alarm!” She yelled at the genius through her comm and Tony winced slightly but he couldn't hold back his sarcasm.

“Really? I hadn't noticed that,” he typed frantically on his StarkPad to cover their tracks. Natasha made it to the elevator and climbed through the hatch onto the cabin where Tony sat and grinned. 

“Jarvis, can you send Mark 42 to Shield headquarter. I need it on the roof of the office building. But make sure no one sees it,” Tony used the still intact uplink to his AI and Jarvis confirmed his order. Mark 42 was on it's way. They waited on the roof of the elevator till the AI told him that Mark 42 had arrived. Only then Tony activated the elevator and drove them up to the roof. They used the vents to get onto the roof while Tony had cut off the cameras. Natasha cursed in Russian but she had an eye on their surroundings while the engineer climbed into his suit. The StarkPad with the stolen date was secured inside of the suit when he finally grabbed Natasha and both of them flew away. 

Twenty minutes later they landed on the tower's platform and Natasha already went in while Tony got stripped out of his suit by robot arms. Inside of his living room he found Clint, pacing and white like a sheet. Thor, who should look after Clint, sat on the couch but he rose as soon as the two entered.

“Did you get it?” Clint asked and Tony grinned and waved with the StarkPad. 

“Everything on it... and a little bit more,” he winked.

“Stark, what have you...” Natasha growled but Thor placed a hand on her shoulder and interrupted her. 

“Good work, friend Tony. Now me and Lady Natasha will leave you two alone.” He steered the still angry spy to the elevator.

“Natasha, thanks for your help,” Tony said before the doors closed and Clint, who seemed unsure for a few seconds, flopped down on the couch. 

“Do you think we'll find what we need? To prove that I didn't... you know...” he looked up to Tony who nodded and sat down beside him. He looked at the younger man and when he nodded Tony wrapped his arm around Clint's shoulder and cupped his cheek. 

“I'm pretty sure that this contains all the evidence we need,” Tony murmured and kissed Clint's temple but the archer turned his head and placed a kiss on Tony's lips. 

"Thank you."

“Love you,” Tony murmured when Clint finally placed his head on his shoulder.

“Love you, too.”


	14. Chapter 14

Tony had done more than just _borrowing_ a few data. He left a clone of Jarvis in the systems. It was untraceable and wouldn't do much, just observe their systems and alarm Tony if there happened something of interest. They didn't have to wait too long. 

 

 

The alarm Tony and Natasha had set off forced Maria into action. Later that night, when she, Coulson and a bunch of agents had searched the facility and only found an unconscious agent on Fury's ratty couch she knew that someone had been there but they couldn't find anyone. And she knew that it was Stark. She knew that he hadn't been alone, Stark was good but not so good. 

She was in the defense now and she had to act or everything would go down the drain. She knew that the video and the other evidence was destroyed. She had done that herself but still, Hammer and his goons were alive and there. And she couldn't let them go now. Hammer was an idiot who would get caught again in an instant. On the other hand, she couldn't risk that he would tell anything. Till now he had kept his mouth shut but when Fury himself would question him, she wasn't sure that he would stay quiet. 

No, there was only one solution. She had to get rid of him. But she couldn't just shoot him in his cell. To shoot him on the run on the other hand seemed legit. And she had the perfect scapegoat. Whatever Stark had done, it had caused a security leak and the prisoners could escape. Yes, that would work. 

Maria was in the control room together with the agents Mallory and Camden. She knew before she could do anything she had to disarm the cameras. Some time ago she had placed a trojan horse in the computer system. Just in case. And now she needed it. She looked at one of the screens and when both, Mallory and Camden, didn't look in her direction she activated it. Now she had ten minutes to leave before she virus started to work. She nodded at Mallory when she left the control room and went to the armory to get Barton's Glock. She knew it was there when he wasn't on a mission. It was always there. She also took a tranquilizer gun and a few darts. She didn't want to kill her own colleagues unlike a certain archer. After a look at her watch she knew she had three minutes left. Without haste she went back to the control room. She knew, the virus would destroy all the footage. 

When she entered again she saw Camden typing frantically and Mallory yelled at her. Maria took the tranquilizer gun and shot at first at Mallory and when the man slumped down and Camden turned violently she shot at her as well. 

“Crap. You shouldn't have looked, Stella,” she murmured and knelt down beside the young woman. She knew her since her first day at Shield, she had had her in 'Advanced tactics 3.2'. And now Stella had seen her in the control room, shooting at Mallory. With a sigh Maria knelt beside Camden, turned her around, removed the tranquilizer dart and brushed a strand of hair out of her face before she took Barton's Glock, chambered a round and pressed the muzzle onto her temple. “I'm sorry, Stella,” she murmured and squeezed the trigger. Stella's brain, bone fragments and blood splattered against the console she had worked at and Maria pressed her lips tight together. But then she rose, went to the console to deactivate the cameras, hid the guns in her uniform and left the control room. 

She hurried through the corridors to the cell block where Hammer and his goons were locked in. Once again Agent Almodovar was on guard duty and before he could look in her direction – she didn't want to kill another agent – she sedated the young man with a tranquilizer dart in his neck. He slumped down and Hill went to the monitoring desk and opened all the cells. No one came out and with another sigh she went into the cell block and to Hammer's cell. The man sat on his bunk and seemed unsure.

“Come on, what are you waiting for? Christmas?” she snarled and the man grinned and left the cell. Together they fetched the rest of his goons and Maria went to the door but before she opened it, she unloaded the Glock and handed it to Hammer. 

“If something happens, you point with it at my head. Then I'm your _hostage_. And now, move.” 

She led the men through the corridors to the elevator. But she had a bad vibe in the meantime. Even at dead of night there should be any agents but so far she only had met the few in the control room and in the cell block. 

“What about the cameras?” Hammer suddenly asked and looked over his shoulder but they were still alone. 

“They are deactivated. And I can put the blame on Stark for this,” she hissed and when all of the guys – nine to be exact – were crammed in the elevator she pressed the button for the roof. There was an emergency quinjet and they could disappear with it. Or at least, they could get away till Maria could escape her kidnappers and shot them all. 

The elevator stopped and the men left the cabin. But then they suddenly froze and raised her hands. Maria swallowed and turned around... to look in Fury's disappointed face, Coulson beside him and with them about twenty agents. All aiming with their guns at them. When she looked over her shoulder she saw Iron Man, Captain America, Black Widow, Thor and Dr. Banner (and he seemed cut to the quick). 

“It's over, Maria,” Coulson said and she grabbed the gun she had given Hammer, rammed the magazine in but before she could do any more harm the electrodes of Coulson's taser hit her and she went to the floor, still twitching.


	15. Chapter 15

Tony was in his living room, together with Clint and he looked over the data he had _borrowed_. Clint lay on the couch, his head in Tony's lap and he slept. The painkillers Dr. Brown had given him had knocked him out. Like usual. Tony knew that Clint trusted only a few people enough to take his medicine in their company because of his reaction to them. He absentmindedly stroked his head while he read through all the stuff he had _stolen_ from Fury's server. 

Yes, it was true that Maria Hill was together with another SHIELD agent. His name was Steve Davis and he died on the bridge of the helicarrier during Clint's attack. Someone threw a grenade onto the bridge and a shrapnel shredded his pericardium. Tony wiped over his face. That was awful. But it wasn't Clint's fault. He skimmed through the rest of her file and there was something else. Apparently she had been pregnant and after the shock about the death of her fiancé she lost the child. Okay, now we have the reason. 

But why Clint? She knew that he wasn't responsible for his actions. She knew that he was a mere puppet and Loki forced him to launch this attack. It was Loki's fault. Would she even go so far to hand a colleague over to get tortured and... and... Tony licked over his lips. He didn't want to think about it. He didn't want to think about everything Clint had to go through. He had seen part of it. Hammer, that bastard, had sent him videos of Clint's torture and he didn't want to imagine the rest.

_It's my fault,_ he thought but then he shook his head. _No, it's Hammer's fault. And Maria's._

“Sir, we have an alarm at Shield-HQ. Someone tried to shut off the cameras. My clone put them back on and started to record everything.” 

“Is the suit ready?” Tony nearly jumped up. “And call Happy, I need him up here.” 

“Mr. Hogan is already on it's way and the suit is ready, Sir.” The AI said. “If you want to I can have an eye – so to speak – on Agent Barton till Mr. Hogan is here,” he added and Tony wasn't sure but he thought it sounded a little bit protective. 

“Yes... yes, that would be nice.” Tony already hurried to the landing platform where the robot arms attached the suit around him. “Did you call Fury, Coulson and the rest of the team?” Tony asked while he activated the repulsors and headed for Shield-HQ.

“Yes, sir. Thor is with Dr. Banner on his way, Agent Romanov was still at the HQ and Captain Rogers just left the building with his motorcycle. Director Fury and Agent Coulson are alarmed and Mr. Hogan just arrived in your penthouse. He sits currently with Agent Barton.” 

“Thanks, J.” Tony murmured.

 

 

They had surrounded her when she grabbed the gun. But the electrodes of Coulson's taser hit her and she went to the floor. “It's over, Maria,” Coulson said and Tony saw his face crumble for the first time since he knew the man. But he could understand him. The idea that Maria Hill of all people went rogue was too preposterous, yet it happened. 

“Arrest them,” Fury said and about half of the agents behind him lowered their weapons and started to cuff the prisoners. 

“Oh my god, this... I can't believe it.” Bruce murmured and stared at the still unconscious Maria. Coulson just tied her hands and looked up at him. 

“I know what you mean. We worked together for years.” 

Tony took a deep breath and locked his eyes with Natasha's. The Russian smiled that tiny smile and nodded, once, at him. He just wanted to close his faceplate when Bruce said his name.

“Tony.” He came over to him and Tony saw him grit his teeth. 

“I... I'm so sorry for...” he started but Tony cut him off. 

“No. It's not me you have to apologize to.” He said and he could see him cast down his eyes.

“Yes, I do. You've told me to trust you. I didn't. I didn't help my friends when they needed me.” 

“You've trusted your instinct.” Tony nodded when he saw the other man blush. But he patted his shoulder and Bruce went over to Steve. 

“Thank you for the help, Mr. Stark.” Fury seemed serious. 

Coulson led Maria, who woke up a few seconds ago, back to the elevator. She glared furiously at him.

“What will happen to her? And to Hammer and his goons?” Tony asked Fury and the older man sighed. 

“Well, she knows too much to send her to a state prison. I guess it will be the Raft. She doesn't have superpowers but... she still knows too much. And Hammer? Hammer can go back to his nice, cozy cell in Rikers.”

“Can I talk to her?” Tony asked and Fury looked at him for a very long moment, deliberating if he should let him or not but then he finally nodded.

“Okay. Tomorrow. Tonight it's Coulson's turn.” 

“Okay.” Tony and Fury were the last two on the roof right now and he looked up into the dark sky and then smiled. “I'll be there tomorrow.” 

Fury watched him start and sighed. Why must everything be so complicated?

 

 

On the flight back to his tower Jarvis updated him about the things at Shield. The clone still worked and was connected with _his_ Jarvis. Apparently Hammer spilled the beans, Natasha was threatening enough after she nearly broke his arm the last time they met. Maria on the other hand kept quiet. She just stared at Coulson and didn't say a word. 

“It's over. We have her,” he sighed when he saw Happy looking expectantly at him after entering his penthouse, the suit already removed. His bodyguard slash driver slash head of security slash friend seemed to be glad as well. 

“He woke up half an hour ago but I managed to convince him to go to bed. He was pretty out of it,” Happy said and went to the elevator. 

“Thanks, Happy,” Tony patted his shoulder and went to the bedroom. Clint lay in the bed but he had his eyes open and waited for him.

“How did it go?” he asked and Tony sat down on the bed.

“We were right. It was Maria, together with Hammer. Coulson arrested her. She doesn't talk but that's not necessary. Hammer already confessed to Natasha. He said, they did it because they both wanted revenge. Hammer because his company went out of business after he ended up in prison and Maria... he said she did it because her fiancé died on the bridge of the helicarrier.” 

“Oh god, it was my fault. It...”

“No! No, it wasn't your fault. He would've died there, even if Loki had mind-controlled someone else.”

“That's why she was so strange suddenly,” Clint pulled up his knees and Tony crawled up to him, sat beside him and carefully placed a hand on his shoulder.

“What do you mean?” 

“We... we were in these cages and... and we talked. I guess I've told her that we want to marry and... and about the child. She was really strange afterwards. I didn't think anything at first, I thought it's because of the situation, you know,” Clint leaned against Tony, placed his head on his chest and the older man wrapped his arm around him. “She was involved in the whole plan, wasn't she?” Clint looked up to Tony and he nodded. 

“Yes, she was.” 

“They... they came for her. They told me they came for her. They gave me the choice to take her place. I... I thought...” Clint swallowed and Tony stroked his head.

“Oh god, those bastards.” They had let him think that he could save her while it was Maria who had handed him over to his tormentors. That was so twisted, Tony thought and he swallowed back a tear.

“My poor baby,” he murmured and kissed Clint's temple. “It's over now. She will never be able to come near you. She'll be locked away for the rest of her life. You're safe, Clint. And I'll be there for you.”

“I... I only wanted to do the right thing... you know... I didn't know that...” Clint started but Tony shushed him with his finger on his lips.

“Don't Clint. It's not your fault. Once again, it's not your fault. You couldn't do anything.”

“But, Tony... if...” A single tear left Clint's eye and Tony wiped it away with his thumb but the next already waited and ran over his face.

“No, don't. Don't do that to yourself. Not again.” Tony knew how hard it had been for Clint after what Loki had done to him. “Not again,” he repeated and he felt the younger man sob. “She will pay, Clint. Believe me, she will pay for what she'd done to you.”


	16. Chapter 16

Tony waited in the room beside the interrogation room where Coulson tried to get something out of Maria. She still was quiet, just looked at him. He could watch them on the screens, together with a few other agents. She only sat there and looked at him but didn't say a word.

Finally Coulson gave up and and nodded at Tony. He could go in and try to talk to her. 

She only lifted her brow when she saw him. He wasn't whom she had expected and Tony saw it in her face for a brief moment. She was still tied to the chair and couldn't do any harm but he stayed out of her reach, just in case. 

“What do you want, Stark?” she huffed annoyed when he sat down opposite of her.

“I only want to know why. I know, Agent already said that you're not willing to confess anything and honestly, I'm not interested in a confession. I only want to know, why him?”

Maria leaned back, pressed her lips together and only looked at Tony. 

“You know that he didn't have any control over what he did, right? And you know that he wasn't the only one who threw grenades onto the bridge. So, I ask you once more, why him?”

“Because I hate him, that's why.” She spat and glared at Tony. 

“This much I figured out myself. It's they why I don't get.” 

“Why, why, why! What does it matter. It happened.” 

“It does matter to me.” Tony folded his arms in front of his chest and looked at her. 

“You want to know why? Okay, but only without anyone listening.” 

Tony turned around and looked at the camera and after a few seconds the red light indicating that it was active went out. 

“Okay, tell me.” 

“Do you have any idea what I had to do to come this far in this job? This is, after all, still a male-dominated field. I had to work my ass off to come this far, always had to be far better than anyone and I had to make so much sacrifices in my life to get to the point where I am... was.” 

“Okay.” 

“And Barton? He didn't have to go through all the training, he didn't have to give up as much as me and see where he is.” 

“What? What did you have to give up?” 

“I was there for SHIELD twenty-four hours a day, I didn't have a private life, I had to fight all the time in my life.” She spat and now Tony lifted his brow.

“You know that I have stolen your file and that I have read it. And I mean the uncensored version from Fury's private server. _You_ had to fight in your life? Yes, I can totally imagine how bad your life had been, with two loving parents in your suburban home with the nice, white fence, how hard all those decisions had been, what to wear to school, whom to invite for prom, what to do with all your spare time.”

“Oh yeah, and now you come up with some stories how hard Barton's life had been.” She replied mockingly.

“No, why would I? We both knew that it was a cakewalk, wasn't it? I mean, wasn't it top-notch that his drunkard father killed himself and his wife when Clint was six, so he couldn't beat him to a bloody pulp anymore? And the few times his foster father raped him? At least he had someone who payed him attention, right? And what does it matter that his brother tried to kill him, that happens all the time? That he got kicked out of the army just because he loved someone with the wrong gender? That he had to sell himself to not starve? That Loki forced him to fight against his friends and colleagues? That Loki had taken more than just his free will? This is of course nothing compared to all the hardships you had to deal with.”

“I knew that you would turn everything so Barton comes out as the poor victim afterwards. He has the billionaire, he gets the child, he's an Avenger now, he gets everything he wants and I'm left with the shards of the one relationship that meant everything to me,” she spat and Tony had to concentrate to not strangle her right away. He took a few deep breaths before he looked at her again.

“How many serious relationships did you have during school time?” Tony asked and she squinted her eyes.

“Does that matter?” 

“Just to humor me,” he mocked.

“Two.” She said after a while, still a bit reluctantly. 

“During your time at the college?” 

“Five.” 

“Since you're with SHIELD?” 

“Three. But what does all this have to do with the fact...”

“How often were you married?” Tony interrupted her.

“I've never...” 

“Two times,” he answered when he saw that she tried to deny.

“How many abortions did you have? Two. And you want to tell me _this_ relationship meant something to you? You've been married twice and killed your two children. I'm pretty sure that you would have made short work of poor Steven and your child if they had gotten in your way.”

“This is...”

“You are a cold, heartless bitch, you would sell your own grandmother to reach your objectives.” Tony spat with enough venom in his voice to make her shrink back. “You've had everything you've wanted and you've already thrown it away twice! And now you blame Clint for something you've done yourself? You blame him although you know that there wasn't anything he could've done against it?” 

“I...” she tried to interrupt Tony but he cut her short.

“Shut up! I'm not finished,” he glared at her now. “When I came in I had the intention to kill you. I have this undetectable plastic knife and I wanted to slit your throat. But now? Now I think it's better to let you alive. Fury told me that he will send you to the Raft.” Tony smirked when he saw her pale.

“You know what that means?” 

“He can't do that, I'm not...” she struggled against her cuffs.

“He can and he will. Solitary confinement for the rest of you life. That's even better than a short and merciful death. Do you have any idea what solitary confinement does to the prisoner? I've researched a bit. Increased sensitivity to stimuli, hallucinations, memory loss, difficulty thinking, impulsiveness, anxiety, headaches, chronic tiredness, trouble sleeping, impending nervous breakdown, perspiring hands, heart palpitations, loss of appetite, trembling hands, nightmares, suicidal thoughts, perceptual distortions, chronic depression, emotional flatness, violent fantasies, social withdrawal, rumination. You will lose your mind. And after reading all these possibilities I have to say, I agree with Fury, maybe for the first time ever. _This_ is the punishment you deserve.”

“Stark! No, you can't do that! They can't do that to me! Not after everything I've done for SHIELD! They can't do that!” She spat when Tony rose and went to the door. “Tell them... tell them I'll confess everything they want to hear but only if they shoot me afterwards. Tell them!” He heard her yell after him when he knocked at the door. The agent outside opened it and Tony left the interrogation room.

“How did it go?” Coulson asked him when he was back in the other room. Apparently they had really disconnected the cameras.

“She didn't say anything.” Tony said and repressed a cruel smile.


	17. Chapter 17

“How's it going, Mr. Stark?” Fury asked when Tony had entered his office and sat down in front of his desk. 

“Slow. But I think it's getting better. He doesn't have nightmares each night anymore and the sudden outbursts of anger have subsided. He still has trouble to fall and stay asleep though.” Tony said and the other man nodded slowly. 

“There's something I need to talk about with you. Actually with both of you but I just... I just wanted to talk to you alone first.”

“Okay. I guess it's about Hill?” Tony asked and Fury smirked slightly.

“Yes. There's... I got a call from the Raft two days ago and...” 

“Please don't tell me she managed to escape.”

“No... no, that's not it. No. It's... she's pregnant. The doctor there called me and they already had made some tests and... Barton is the father.” 

“Oh! Wow!” Tony leaned back and exhaled audible. “Wow. I...” he licked over his lips. “I don't know what to say.” 

“It's... we need to know what to do with the child.” 

“What does she say?” Tony looked warily at the other man.

“She... she doesn't want it of course. She demands an abortion.”

“But?” 

“But... it's Barton's decision as well, Stark.” 

“What can we do? I mean, it's also Clint's child?” Tony leaned forward and placed his hand on Fury's desk.

“Well, technically she's pronounced dead. Legally she doesn't have any rights.”

“You want to force her to get the child?” Tony was horrified.

“Like I said, it's his decision. But...” Fury stopped and licked his lips before he sighed.

“What does she want?” Tony asked, his brow raised. 

“She wants to talk to you.” 

“Me?” Tony frowned and Fury nodded. 

“Okay. Fine. But... but please don't tell Clint. Not yet. I don't know if he can handle that right now.” 

“Yeah, okay. I think a few more days won't hurt anyone.”

 

 

The room he was in was small, dark and depressing. It was separated by a glass wall and he could sit in front of it while the prisoner would be tied to the chair on the other side. Tony was nervous and he paced in the back of the room when he finally heard people arrive on the other side. He looked over to see Maria Hill and he had to admit she looked terrible. The Maria Hill he knew was a pretty woman, not his type but pretty nevertheless, but the person over there was only a shadow of her former self, pale, haggard, sickly and the haunted look in her eyes gave him the creeps. 

When the guards had tied her he sat down as well.

“I'm glad that you agreed to come, Stark,” she croaked. Her voice sounded different but that was probably a side effect of the disuse. 

“What do you want?” he asked but he had a good idea.

“The question is, what do you want?” she swallowed and licked her lips. “Barton told me that you want to have a child. I have one and it's his. He can have it.” 

“I ask you again. What do you want?” 

“Get me out of solitary.”

“That's not negotiable.” Tony folded his arms in front of his chest.

“Then this child, _his_ child, will die and you know that.”

“You know that technically we can force you to get it?” He asked and Maria started to grin.

“There are other ways than an abortion to get rid of a child, Stark, and you know that. Please, I... I accept everything. Supermax, hell, I accept death sentence, everything but please get me out of here.” She sounded more than a little bit desperate he had to admit. He watched her for a long minute and then he sighed. 

“Fine. I need to talk to a few people. Don't do anything you would regret.” 

 

 

“Hey, babe.” Tony smiled when he finally found Clint. This time not at the range where he was most of his time lately, no, this time he found him in the pool, swimming laps. The new scars on his body were still too visible and he bit his lips not to growl again. “What did they say?” He squatted down beside the pool and waited for Clint to come over to him. 

“They say I still need time,” he huffed angrily. The shrinks had him grounded and he got a little cabin fever in the last few weeks. “At least Fury assigned me to train the new agents so I have something to do.” 

“It's getting better though,” Tony said and held his hand out for Clint to take it. He sat down beside Tony.

“So, what do you want?” Clint cocked his head and Tony had to repress a smirk. The younger man still could read him far too easy. 

“There's something I need to ask you.”

“Okay.” He sounded warily, grabbed the towel and wiped over his face.

“You know that we agreed after what happened to you to wait with the marriage and... and the child. And you know that I said I give you all the time you need, right?”

“Tony, what's wrong?” 

“I don't know how to break this to you gently but... but this _is_ important and we need a decision as fast as possible and so... Maria is pregnant and... and you are the father.” 

Clint just stared at him and Tony saw the emotions cross his face.

“Clint, please... say something.” 

“What... what do you expect me to say?” he asked after a long time of silence. His lips trembled and his hands shook again. Tony put his arm around his shoulder and he couldn't care less that the other man still was dripping wet. 

“It's... it depends on you if she gets the child or if she...” Tony shut his mouth when he saw the horrified expression. “I've talked to her. She would give the child to us and...” 

“Would you want to have it? I mean, it's part of her,” he asked and Tony closed his eyes for a brief moment.

“No, it's part of you, Clint.” 

Clint abruptly wriggled out of Tony's arms and rose. He paced a few seconds and when Tony rose as well Clint swallowed and grabbed his towel.

“I... I need some time to think about it, Tony. Okay?” 

“Sure. Okay. Take your time. But... but we need the decision at the end of the week or she will... you know...” 

“Okay,” Clint managed before he fled and Tony pinched the bridge of his nose.

Later Jarvis told him that Clint drove away with his Ducati. He tried to call him but he didn't answer them. He didn't hear anything from him for the next few days and he was really worried but then on Friday he got a text message.

_'It's your decision. If you want it, Tony, I want it as well.'_

Tony smiled and called Fury.


	18. Chapter 18

They let her four weeks with Maria to breast-fed her before they took her away. Tony waited outside in the visitors room for the director. He had talked to Clint and they named her Alexandra Natasha Stephanie Barton-Stark. Clint liked the name Alexandra. He said the name means 'one who comes to save warriors'. And Tony had suggested that Natasha and Steve should be her godparents. Clint had agreed and Natasha liked the idea.

When the door opened he expected his husband but it was Natasha. 

“Where's Clint?” Tony asked and Natasha shook her head. He sighed. He knew that he still was unsure about the baby but they had agreed to take her. 

“Steve is with him,” she explained and Tony nodded. He knew that Clint and Steve became really close friends over the last few months and they had asked Cap and Natasha to be their witnesses when they had married three months ago. 

The door opened again and Director Fury and a nurse came into the room. The nurse, a small, Asian woman with a big smile, held Alexandra and Tony couldn't repress a smile himself. She wanted to give the baby to Natasha but the Russian shook her head and pointed at Tony.

“He's the one,” she said and the nurse, her name tag said Sarinee, looked sceptically at him before she handed him the little girl. Alexandra was asleep and Tony's smile broadened. He knew all the pain and betrayal behind her existence but it wasn't her fault, she was just a cute, little girl. 

“Hey, darling,” he whispered when he cradled her for the first time but she didn't wake up. “Let's get you home to your dad,” he murmured and caressed her small face carefully.

“Do you think he's okay?” Natasha asked when they were in the car and Tony sighed audible. 

“I don't know. He said he's okay. I have... he said he will be okay,” Tony looked at her, then at the sleeping baby. “Betty said... she said if he can't cope right now she and Bruce will take her as long as necessary,” he added quietly. 

“He.. he will cope, Tony. He always had. This time it takes a bit longer because the betrayal was worse than everything before but he will cope. He's strong. He's a fighter.” 

“I know.” Tony took her hand and squeezed it thankfully for a brief moment and Natasha smiled.

 

 

When they entered the penthouse not only Clint was waiting for them. Bruce, Betty, Thor, Jane, Steve and Phil were there as well. Betty, Jane, Steve and Phil downright darted for Alexandra and they surrounded the small girl and made those strange noises so many people made when they saw a baby. Tony smiled but then his eyes landed on Clint and the younger man seemed somehow anxious. 

“She's a pretty girl,” Tony murmured when he wrapped his arms around his husband. “Like her father.” 

“I'm no pretty girl,” Clint retorted and Tony chuckled slightly and kissed his nose. 

“Are you okay?” Tony asked and scrutinized him. He hesitated a few seconds but then he nodded. Together they had furnished the nursery, Steve had drawn unicorns and elves onto the walls and Clint had built the cradle himself. They had bought a lot of stuff and Tony was pretty sure that little Alexandra would be the most spoiled child ever. At least he would do what he could to make sure of that. 

“Do you want to hold her?” Tony asked but Clint shook his head. 

“She's sleeping. Let her sleep. Later, okay?” Tony nodded and kissed him. 

“God, she's so cute,” Betty squealed and Jane grinned at Thor.

“You know, I want one myself,” she said and the Asgardian chuckled. 

“As you wish, my Jane.” 

Natasha wrapped her arm around Steve's waist and looked up to him. She knew that it would be a long way for both, Clint and Tony, but when she saw Steve's glance, she also knew that they would help them. 

 

 

It wasn't that he didn't care about her. He held her, he fed her, he changed her diapers, he played with her but only when Tony was there with him. And sometimes Tony saw him look at her as if he searched for similarities to Maria. 

But he never initiated contact with his daughter of his own accord. When she cried at night it was always Tony who got up and shushed her, when Tony handed her over to him he took her and did what was necessary but as soon as he could give her back he did it. Tony didn't say a word. He knew how hard it had to be for him. He always saw Maria in her, the woman who betrayed him so much, hurt him so much. 

Tony knew he needed time. And that was, what he was willing to do. Give him all the time he needed, give him all the comfort he needed because he loved him so much. And he knew that Clint loved him as well. But sometimes, only sometimes, he felt tired. So, so tired.

 

 

It was quiet in the penthouse when Clint came back from the mission to Bogota. He had showered and changed at SHEILD-HQ and now sneaked quietly into the penthouse to not wake up Tony or Alexandra. He left his stuff in the living room, he would put it away tomorrow. He opened the door to the bedroom and smiled, when he saw his husband, sprawled over the bed and fast asleep. He seemed pretty wiped out and somehow he knew that it was his fault. All the work with little Alexandra was left with him in the last few months and he felt so bad. 

And right on cue he could hear her through the baby alarm. Tony already stirred and Clint hurried into the bedroom to shut off the alarm. 

Tony needed his sleep and he, Clint, was awake. He could do it. He could. He had her many times before and it wouldn't be a problem, would it? He could do it. Quietly he sneaked out of the bedroom and over to the nursery where Alex already was awake and started to whine. He knew that sound, she was hungry and Clint swallowed, He could do it. He knew he could. He had just faced a dozen of angry terrorists, he could handle his daughter. 

He stood in front of the cradle and looked at her, biting his lip. But then he took a deep breath and finally lifted her and placed her on his shoulder.

“Hey, little one, you hungry?” he mumbled and she went quiet and clasped the fabric of his shirt with one of her tiny hands. He took another breath and with Alex on his shoulder he prepared her baby bottle and went to the rocking chair in one corner. Carefully he sat down and fed her. He looked at her and it seemed is if it was the first time he really looked at her.

“Huh,” he managed when Alex blinked at him. “You have my eye-color.” He realized.

And then he took a closer look. He always had searched for similarities to Maria but now he saw that Alex had his mother's nose and her lips looked like his own. It hit him, this wasn't Maria's child in his arm. This was his child. _His_ daughter, his and Tony's. Not Maria's. She would never be Maria's child and even if there were a few things that reminded him on Maria, she also had things only from him. When he put the empty bottle away and the little girl smiled at him he felt his heart flutter. She smiled at _him_. 

He placed Alex over his shoulder once more to let her burp if she needed to and he placed his hand on her head. “I'm sorry, little babybird, sorry for neglecting you. It never was your fault. But I promise, I promise that I will make up for everything I've missed.” He murmured quietly and gently rocked the chair. And with a smile on his lips he closed his eyes for a second and enjoyed the closeness to his little baby.

 

 

When Tony finally woke he could see the sun shine into his bedroom. The second bed was still unused so Clint wasn't back from his mission. He yawned, turned and looked at the baby alarm. Strange, he thought. Alex should've woken up at night. She always did and then he saw that the alarm was shut off.

“Shit!” he yelped and was out of the bed and hurried to the nursery where he found the door ajar. He frowned. He was pretty sure that he had closed the door last night and carefully he opened it. But the sight that greeted him made his heart melt. Clint was back, he sat at the rocking chair, Alex on his chest and both were sound asleep. Tony placed his folded hands over his mouth and felt a tear run over his face. _Yes, she came to save a warrior. My warrior._ Quietly he closed the door and let them sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... thanks, people, thanks for reading, thanks for commenting, thanks for the kudos. I hope you enjoyed it ;)  
> And to all the fans of Maria: sorry, for using her as evil bitch... believe me, I really love her! (well, not in this story, though)

**Author's Note:**

> [asamandra on tumblr](http://asamandra.tumblr.com/)


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